Cross Hirakawa-mon Bridge from the Hirakawa-mon intersection east of the building, and with the building visible beyond the trees along the moat of the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace to your right, a slope rising from the Ninomaru to the Honmaru of Edo Castle holds a grove of about 50 plum trees. Called Umezono-zaka because Ota Dokan planted plums to honor Sugawara no Michizane, the plums there have finally bloomed—though only a handful of trees bear flowers. Of the roughly 50 trees on the slope, the rest have buds only slightly swollen; peak viewing still lies ahead.
Normally more than half would be in bloom by now, but this year they are considerably late. From here, flowers should increase day by day, and other species will bloom in succession. Pollen dispersal also seems lighter after the cold winter. On a fine day, step out of the building and visit on a stroll—why not?